Jindal Goes ‘All In’ Against Common Core; “Joyless Kindergarten” Due To The Core?

“Perhaps no better example of … unrepresentative government exists in education than Common Core national curriculum mandates” -Bobby Jindal, Governor of Louisiana

Jindal’s quote does a fantastic job of summing up what is most wrong with the Common Core in one passage. Armed with his understanding of the federal mandate and of the opinions of most conservatives, Jindal is taking on front runner for the Republican nomination, Jeb Bush, by setting himself apart from Bush and taking a strong position against the Common Core exams.

Common Core is more than the issue du jour for Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal. His evolving opposition to the national education standards has become his signature cause and one that may help differentiate him in a potentially crowded Republican presidential field.

Jindal, whose second term ends this year, has embarked on a national tour calling for the end of Common Core standards. The issue is politically potent among a cadre of conservative primary voters who will play a critical role in choosing the Republican presidential nominee.

Jindal, who is known for his in-depth knowledge of policy, especially around the issues of health care and education, released a national education reform agenda Monday. Central to his plan to expand school choice and limit the power of teachers’ union is the dismantling of Common Core.

Jindal was once a proponent of Common Core, instituting the standards in 2010 and supporting them as recently as 2012. He has since switched his position since it became a hot-button issue among conservatives. He then aggressively worked to dismantle the requirements in his state.

He sued the Obama administration, saying the federal government unconstitutionally forced the requirements on the states in exchange for federal education funding. He has tried to remove the education requirements in his state and is now urging parents to opt out of the program’s required testing.

With Jindal polling in the single digits against a crowded Republican field with as many as a dozen potential challengers, the Louisiana leader is hoping that his battle with national education standards can be his path to conservatives’ hearts.

Common Core is detested among some conservatives. For instance, in a June NBC poll, 58 percent of tea party Republicans oppose Common Core compared to 31 percent of the general public. And a September Gallup Poll found that 58 percent of Republicans view Common Core negatively compared to just 23 percent parents who identify as Democrats.

With 58% of conservatives disapproving of the Common Core, Jindal is slickly capitalizing on a hot button topic while appealing to parents in his home state. Whether this works or not, the headlines he is making will serve to bring more attention to the fact that so many Americans are ready to force the Common Core from our schools.

An interesting opinion piece in the Boston Globe breaks down the possible effects that the Common Core will have on our most impressionable learners, as well as the difference between how inner city children prepare vs. children from more affluent families. Will Common Core Lead To Joyless Kindergarten?discusses those concerns. Here in South Florida, we have seen the ‘joy’ removed from students who have dealt with testing anxiety for the last decade. I have seen it from friends of mine who have felt the joy of teaching leave their classrooms, burning them out, and forcing them to leave the teaching profession due to the tyrannical nature of the high-stakes testing monster. I’ve seen it from my own family, as my boy comes home each day frustrated with math problems that take one minute to solve problems that should be accomplished in seconds. Our site will be armed with a petition to get rid of the Common Core throughout the United States. Please come back, sign the petition and pass it on to your friends.